The University’s signature celebration features nearly 300 events, bestselling authors, and award-winning entertainers.
More than 10,000 people are expected to gather across University of Rochester campuses for Meliora Weekend, URochester’s signature celebration combining reunion, homecoming, and family weekend, October 1–4. With nearly 300 events over four days, the weekend offers something for everyone—from thought-provoking lectures and performances to Yellowjacket athletics, family activities, and opportunities to reconnect and make new memories.
Headliners include PBS News Hour co-anchor Amna Nawaz; New York Times bestselling author and journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin; actor, author, humorist, and woodworker Nick Offerman; and Grammy Award-winning contemporary chamber ensemble Alarm Will Sound, which was founded at Eastman School of Music 25 years ago.
“The Rochester experience has always been built on curiosity and a commitment to excellence,” says Tom Farrell ’88, ’90W (MS), senior vice president for University Advancement. “Meliora Weekend brings those values to life by welcoming our community back together to learn, to celebrate the University community, have fun, and to reconnect with former classmates and friends.”
Guests can also look forward to the return of the Meliora Village, the heart of the weekend’s festivities, on River Campus Friday through Saturday, and the Eastman School of Music block party on Gibbs Street on Friday. Featuring local food and craft beverages, games, student performances, and family-friendly activities, both spots offer something for every generation. This year’s Village experience will be energized by a live performance from Rochester’s Fleetwood Mac tribute band The Seven Wonders.
Research and academic lectures, along with open houses, will take place across all campuses all weekend, with School of Medicine & Dentistry and School of Nursing academic programming predominantly taking place on Friday. Additionally, admission costs are waived at the Memorial Art Gallery throughout the weekend.
Meet the Meliora Weekend 2026 headliners
Amna Nawaz
Amna Nawaz is an Emmy, Peabody, and Cronkite award-winning journalist who currently serves as co-anchor and co-managing editor of the PBS News Hour. Her reporting ranges from politics and foreign affairs to immigration and education, to culture and sports. She has anchored the show from the US southern border, Israel after the October 7 attacks, and Kyiv, Ukraine, during its war with Russia. Nawaz has interviewed presidents and heads of state, White House officials and lawmakers, professional athletes and musicians, and citizens around the world in the communities they call home.
Nawaz is a passionate advocate for trust in the media and offers a compelling look at the state of truth, credibility, and journalism in today’s rapidly evolving information landscape. Drawing on her extensive experience reporting on stories across the country and around the world, Nawaz explores the rise of misinformation and disinformation, the challenges they present for society, and their impact on politics, business, and public discourse. She offers thoughtful insights into the forces shaping today’s information environment and the enduring value of trust and credibility in public life.
Andrew Ross Sorkin
Andrew Ross Sorkin is an award-winning journalist for The New York Times and a co-anchor of Squawk Box, CNBC’s signature morning program. He is also the founder and editor-at-large of DealBook, an online daily financial report published by The New York Times that he started in 2001.
In this engaging presentation, Sorkin takes the audience behind the scenes of his deeply researched book 1929: The Inside Story of the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History–and How It Shattered a Nation. Drawing on years of archival material, forgotten diaries, and private correspondence, Sorkin shares how he reconstructed the personalities and events behind the rise and collapse of an era, offering a fascinating look at the craft of narrative nonfiction and the process of bringing one of the most consequential periods in American history to life.
Sorkin also explores why the lessons of 1929 remain so relevant today. Connecting themes from the book to the intersection of economics, politics, and public sentiment, he examines how financial forces continue to shape elections, policy debates, and global competition. Blending historical storytelling with contemporary insight, Sorkin offers a compelling perspective on how the past can help us better understand the challenges of the present.
A book signing with Sorkin will follow the event from 3 to 3:30 p.m.
Nick Offerman
Nick Offerman is an actor, author, humorist, and woodworker whose credits include the Emmy Award-winning role of Bill in The Last of Us (HBO), Ron Swanson in Parks and Recreation (NBC), and Jinx in Margo’s Got Money Troubles (Apple). His latest book is Little Woodchucks: Offerman Woodshop’s Guide to Tools and Tomfoolery.
Alarm Will Sound
Founded at Eastman School of Music 25 years ago, contemporary chamber ensemble Alarm Will Sound returns to Rochester for Meliora Weekend to celebrate with a new award in hand and a new program on offer. The winners of the 2026 Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble present New Acoustica, an innovative program featuring live performances of complex electronica on acoustic instruments.
“With New Acoustica, we present the music of Aphex Twin, Jlin, King Britt, Marcos Balter, SOPHIE, Tim Exile, Lucrecia Dalt, and more, bringing the work of these outstanding and groundbreaking artists to you in a way that you’ve never heard before.” — Alarm Will Sound
Alarm Will Sound’s visit is generously supported by the Elizabeth Ward Chicares ’86 Distinguished Visiting Artist Program.
This program is part of the Eastman Presents Kodak Series and Eastman Explores America and features Eastman alumni.
